


Closer

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Cancer, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 08:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7838260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith wasn't sure what it was, anemia, some vitamin deficiency, something simple. Anything but this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closer

**Author's Note:**

> this was wow. Like a lot for me to write. I actually did a little research for this, but the story drastically changed as I wrote it, Im not sure if Im going to like this when I look at it again, but for now, this is the stuff I make for this fandom haha. As always, see any errors, please tell me and they will be fixed right away. Hope you enjoy!

The heat outside was excrutiating, sweat and humidity stuck to Keith's skin as he ran. The gym teacher, a small and round man with a pinched expression, yelled for them to move faster. Three more laps and they were done. Keith wasn't sure he could last one more- let alone three laps. His chest felt painfully tight and it burned to even breathe. He heaved hard, eyes blurring over as he saw Lance look back at him. The world swirled as he fell down onto the burning asphalt.

　

Keith's head was fuzzy as he tried to move his heavy limbs, but it seemed too hard. Keith just wanted to curl up and give into the dark, throbbing in his head. He felt delerious, colors and amorphous shapes nearly making him naseous. He felt hands pulling him up, the movement making another throbbing wave pass over Keith's pain addled mind. The blue sky swirled with dark brown, a too-hot hand smacked him in the face, water was sloshed onto his face (despite the enjoyment of something cool, it only served to make him choke as some went up his nostril and caught in his throat between laboured breaths).

　

The more he waited, the more the swirling world stopped the seemingly endless spin. Keith's ears quieted in the ringing that was blocking the commotion around him. He could hear Allura arguing with the teacher that he needed to go inside _now_ , could hear Hunk as he tried to assure Shiro Keith was fine, hear Pidge as they murmured soothing words from their position near his head, and the string of curses in a language Keith hardly knew. The sky was a too bright blue for Keith as he tried to focus on Lance's pinched expression. Once Lance saw his dark eyes open, relief washed over him. Pige held onto Keith tighter, despite the overwhelming heat of their bodies so close, and Lance ran his spinly fingers through his matted hair. The contact grouned Keith as he tried to steady his breathing.

　

"Thank you, Dios, he's okay," Lance breathes out shakily.

　

They're all smiling and Keith is allowed to sit out for what's little left in the period. In the locker room, he's cornered by students that ask him what happened and, really, Keith has no idea.

　

He realises then that he's frightened by the fact the he doesnt know what's happening to him. Right now, he holds on to what Lance said. He's okay.

　

\--

　

Keith doesn't stay okay for long.

　

It's barely a week later and he's in a similar state as before, except now he's spitting and coughing up viscous fluid from his burning stomach as everything is quickly too much, _too much_. Lance holds Keith and rocks him as he starts to cry, the dry heaves getting wetter as it mixes with his snot and tears. Colors swirl when Allura's bleached hair and tanned skin swim in his blurry, nauseating line of vision. Another wave of revulsion slams into Keith and he's left breathless with the attempt to not spit up on Allura. He sways to the side, Lance moves with him, shaking like a leaf but steadier than Keith is then.

　

When it finally feels like it's over, someone runs a towel across Keith's cracked lips to clean him up. He sleeps in the nurse's office for an hour after school ends, when he wakes up, the group is wating with his stuff in the hallway for him. They're all bated breath and worried glances and chewed up lips, sitting there for him that day.

　

Keith feels the tug of something akin to fear, as he looks at the scene.

　

Later in the year, it's no longer hot. Keith barely has the time to appreciate the lack of overwhelming heat when his hands and feet grow cold to the point of numbness daily. The nipping wind turns his knuckles purple, then blue, then black when Lance insistes that Keith take his warm, too-big gloves. His shoulders are soon adorned with one of Hunk's sweatshirts as the season goes on and the gloves aren't enough.

　

The pain and bitter cold aren't enough to push Keith away from leaving the orphanage at night and running to Lance's home- it's a close few blocks and is warm and more a home than Keith's will ever be.

　

Each time, Lance curses at him, before letting him in with open arms. Tonight isn't really different.

　

"What the fuck are you doing, Keith?" Lance hisses as he tugs the shivering boy through the door.

　

"What do you mean?" Keith asks innocently, a smirk playing on his lips, "I sent you a text, remember?"

　

The taller boy mearly goans in his dissatisfaction, while his warm hands work over the yellow sweatshirt that Keith still refuses to give back. Keith smiles up, and he almost thinks that Lance's cheeks dust a darker shade, before the boy turns on his heel and they both shuffle to Lance's bedroom in silence.

　

They change in more comforting silence, backs to eachother as Keith pulls on Shiro's old baseball shirt and Lance's soft sweatpants. Lance is already in bed by the time Keith is finished, an he crawls under the sheets, reaching out for the other's warmth. Keith wraps his arms around Lance's chest and hides his face in the near scalding crook of his neck. Lance reciprocates with little more than a titter of an insult ("You're a freaking koala." "Shut up, Lance."). Arms wrap tightly around Keith's waist, and his breath hitches.

　

It's dark, but Keith can still eye the freckle on Lance's collar bone, he bites his lip in an attempt to resist the urge to kiss it- poke it- anything really. Keith's stomach churns at the thought of Lance rejecting him. This relationship in itslef was meticulously kept together through things they'd worked up to in the years they've known eachother. It had taken quite a while to get this close, Keith couldn't ruin it now.

　

Instead, Keith watches Lance's chest move the skin of his collar subtly. He traces the dip of the freckle with his eyes until he falls asleep.

　

They wake up to loud clamour and a full, awake house. Lance growls out a complaint, burring himself deepeer into Keith's body when his mother walks in, and flick on the light in a burst of energy.

　

"Come on, hijo! Get up- oh!" She gasps, "Keith, I didn't know you came!"

　

The light was promptly shut back off, " _Just_ until breakfast is ready, alright?"

　

The door was then closed and the room was blocked off from the brunt of the Sanchez household awakeing. Light filtered into the room through the crakes in the window, entirely too bright for Keith's hardly awake mind. He finds himself following Lance's lead and curling closer, shivering as the blanket slides off his shoulder and the cool air of the room nips at the base of his neck. He blearily tries to blink the sleep from his eyes, Keith tiredly nuzzles Lance in his fit of fighting and giving back into his drowsiness.

　

The other male leans into Keith, his stomach fluttering oddly as the curl closer to eachother for a few quiet moments. When the smell of bacon rifts into the room, both boys slowly lift eachother up from the comfortable bed and out into the havoc of the waking world.

　

Keith shuffles to the kitchen with a yawn, Lance simply groans and leans against him. The extra weight on Keith's still not entirely respnsive muscles nearly makes him buckle over, but a tan arm quickly catches them both.

　

"What're you doing?" Keith tries to sound intimidating but the slur in his words only makes Lance want to croon at him.

　

"Ugh, get a room, you two." One of Lance's younger siblings, Gwen, teases. The youngest two at the table babbled sounds of disgust as they smashed mushy orange goo on each other's faces. Another sibling, Merlin, shoves past Lance, and he falls on Keith.

　

He's more prepared to hold them both up and shoot a glare at Merl that cuts the boy's snicker off short. After that, they all sit around each other at the table, passing food around and laughing easily. Lance still leans on Keith, he doesn't question it and simply anjoys the closeness with a giddy happiness.

　

"So," Lance's mother starts, "Did you're appointment get set up yet?"

　

That succesfully silences the table. Since the Sanchez family heard of Keith's poor health, they all took a serious care into making sure he took care of himself. Even Merl, the twelve year old looks up at Keith with so much worry that it reminds him of every time Lance saw him go down. Makes Keith think of the feeling of not being able to breathe, the sight of Lance's teary concern as no one can stop Keith's spiral to near unconciousnoess until he's back again, pain subsided in his chest and lungs no longer able to suck in a breath.

　

"Keith?" Lance's hesitant plea breaks Keith from his thoughts.

　

He tries to force a smile, but Lance thinks it's shakey at best. "It's monday, Mrs. Sanchez."

　

Lance's mom nods and the family slowly begins to move back into the fast paced excitement that Keith is used to. He's trying to ignore the look that Lance is giving him for as long as he can, when he does look up, those rolling blue waves look almost angry. Lance mouths, 'We'll talk later' and Keith shivers and nods dumbly. Despite the seriousness of the altercation, Keith's face slowly heats up as that frustrated expression replays in his head over and over. Lance, Keith thinks, looks _really_ good like that.

　

\--

　

"Well, since it is the weekend, would you and Keith mind doing some errands for me, hijo?" Mrs. Sanchez asks with so much sweetness that Keith just knows there's something more to her asking.

　

"Yes, claro, mama," Lance answers and within the next few moments Keith is bundled up and ready to go as Mrs. Sanchez is making a list of things she needs. Lance is lacing up his boots and Keith is fiddling with the extra jacket Lance threw at him that just managed to fit over Hunk's sweatshirt.

　

Lance grabs the list and kisses his mother on the cheek, "We'll be back in an hour."

　

"Oh don't rush, hijo," Lance rolls his eyes at the knowing look she gives and Keith flushes darkly, swiveling to leave.

　

"Hey!" Lance hisses, grabbing the back of his jacket and quickly reaching around to stuff Keith's hands in black wool gloves. "You know you can't just walk out without them, mullet head."

　

The last part leaves warm breath ghosting across his cheek and it sends shivers down his spine again. "Leave my hair out of this, pigeon toe."

　

Lance squaks and shoves Keith out the door, "I do not!"

　

"You totally walk pigeon toed."

　

"I walk like a fucking ballerina!"

　

"Yes," Keith pauses just long enough for Lance to swell with pride, "like a really crappy one."

　

Lance chases Keith to the minimart a few blocks away. They're breathless, well, Keith is breathless. Lance, track team co-captain he is, is hardly breathing differently. Keith curses him under his laboured breath.

　

They stalk the aisles, not caring to grab a basket when they came in, juggle the odd things Mrs. Sanchez sent them out for. Laughing every time one of them drops something, leading to them dropping more food items. More than once is a poor tomato bruised and the bread almost squished to an unrecognizable dough.

　

They're walking back with bags digging into their arms even through their layers of clothing. Stumbling down the sidewalk as the winds gently bites at their cheeks and turns them chapped and burning.

　

"So, uh, how come you weren't going to tell me about it?" Lance asks suddenly.

　

"Tell you what?" Keith says dumbly, taken slightly off guard.

　

"The appointment."

　

"Oh."

　

"You don't have to do this alone, Keith. We're all here for you."

　

\--

　

Lance skipped school to hold Keith's hand as he gets vial after vial of his blood drawn. The nurse tries to be quick, but no matter what there is still the seemingly endless process of getting it taken out. It wouldn't be bad, if th needle wasn't so goddamn _big_. Keith flinches every so often and mercilessly digs his nails into Lance's hand, eyes purposefully avoiding the needle.

　

"Dude, this looks so cool," Lance titters in awe. "You should totally see it."

　

Keith hides his face in their entwined hands when the nurse moves to take out the needle. He cringes hard as Lance lets out another amazed noise. The nurse laughs at both of them.

　

"You two are quite the odd couple, huh?" The nurse giggles.

　

"Wha- uh- n-no-," Lance is flustered and babling for a moment, "Us? Never!"

　

Keith notices how Lance's han never leaves his own.

　

\--

　

The results come in the next week, it's almost Christmas and brake has started up, a fitting time for Keith to be told he had to go back and know what's wrong with him. Shiro drives him and Lance and after they plan to meet up the rest of the group to pick up shitty fast food to deal with the blow of what Keith had come to the conclusion was anemia. With some vitamins and medicine, he would be better in no time.

　

The doctor's seriousness as he walks in is not something that Keith is expecting with a run down for anemia. Lance immediately stands closer to Keith with the shift in the room. Shiro is standing up straighter, arms crossing slowly.

　

"Mr. Kogane," the doctor confirms. Keith nods. "My name is Franklin, and I am here to help you through the process as hard as it will be, every step will be explained by me, if that is what you need."

　

"Uhm, thanks," Keith stomach is churning, he shifts uncomfortably in the office chair. The doctor places his hands on the oak desk, his entire body moves with his deep sigh.

　

"Keith, I'm very sorry to tell you this, but I will make this as blunt as I can for little confusion to stand."

　

"What?" Keith feels like he's going to throw up. Lance's hand reaches out to grip Keith's forearm, and the weight of the hand is enough to ground him again.

　

"You currently have a very sever and untreated version of what we can almost definitively call Richter's Syndrome, it's is the complication of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, CLL for short. My options for you at this point is to get ready to undergo some vigerous treatment and if that is unable to produce any valuable results... Prepare for the worst. I am so very sorry. I will leave you with your friends for a moment alone."

　

The doctor rises and slowly exists, once Keith hears the door click shut, he lets himself brake down. He crumples over and Lance is immediately there, he hold Keith tight through near silent sobs and full body treamours. Shiro stands in shock and disbelief.

　

When the doctor returns a few minutes later, there are appointments set up to see if the could determine what exactly was wrong within the lymph nodes and if it could be stopped with stem cell treatment, but depending on how far along it was, there may be nothing that they could do. If that were the case, there would be a timer above Keith's head. Ticking away every second closer to when his body would simply be unable to respond anymore.

　

They walk out numb, shell-shocked and glassy eyed. Shiro nearly runs every red light and when they finially make it to the McDonald's twenty minute late, Keith tries not to openly cry as he explains the situation. He cries when Hunk pulls him in tight and they all assure Keith that no matter what, he isn't alone.

　

\--

　

The next few weeks are a blur, the sisters running the orphanage try their damndest to get Keith to quit sneaking out to Lance's, but it only ends with Keith staying in the Sanchez household for extended periods of time. In that time between running to Lance and going to his numerous appointments, they learn more about the status of Keith's condition. The treatment, which at this stage would be the best bet, is being pushed back in planning due to severe lack of platelets. His throat has swelled slightly, along with the tender spot under his arms, and after a closer inspection of his body by doctors, his spleen as well. A small, traitorous lump that they say will continue to grow. Keith signs up to apply for the platelet therapy that could slow the process. One doctor even says that it's not that bad, he's seen people with much worse fully recover. If they can do it, so could Keith.

　

He doesn't feel much different. Laughing grates on his throat a little more, he lost at least five pounds in the last month alone, and he simply feels so much more tired. Keith just wants to curl up and sleep the days away, finding dark humor when teachers attempt to letcure him for dozing off in class. Going on about how this would affect his life in the long run.

　

They stop lecturing after telling them _what_ it was Keith found so funny.

　

The only times he really feels happy is when he's piled up in his friends' new group puddle, when he's lost in warm limbs that hold him so tight, Keith feels like he can barely breathe.

　

It stays like this for a while. Calm. Keith can feel it, though. The soft ticking in the back of his head, reminding him that he's on spare time.

　

\--

　

Lance is curled up on one end of his bed, wearing Hunk's old work shirt and the pair of sweatpants that Keith likes to wear because they're soft and warm, but not stifling like Keith's fleece ones. Keith's eyes follow the curve of his collar bone, and the opening of the shirt just allows for that freckle to peek out when Lance inhales. Keith smiles and feels something inside his roll and warm appreciatively. The warmth of the lights above them contrasts with the led light of the tv on Lance's skin, making him look darker. Mocha skin pulled taught and smooth. It's not marred by bruises like Keith's skin at the simplest things now.

　

The other day, Allura smacked him on the back just a bit too hard, he still has the blotchy mark across his back in gross hues of yellow and purple. Keith hates how sickly they look across his arms and legs, thankful for the cold sticking around and giving him a good reason to continue wearing long sleeves.

　

"Keith?" Lance breaks him from his thoughts. Keith blinks the world back into focus, Lance's seas stare into Keith.

　

He feels raw under those eyes, a pleasant feeling that leaves him sartlingly sensitive to th breath ghosting over his face. Lance's breath smells like popcorn and something distincly sweet, like the candy they ate earlier into their tv drama binge session. Keith doesn't realise how close he leaned into Lance until his hand comes up to gently cup Keith's jaw. In this light, Lance thinks he looks so beautiful. Eyes wide and sparkling, bruised lips parted with gentle puffs of stale air, and black hair so mused and unruly that it's endearing.

　

Keith's heart thrums wildly, unable to completely believe that this is happening. Keith hesitates to lean in completely and Lance rushes up to meet him. It's painful, at first teeth clash and lips smash together, but they manage. Lance guides him through it, gently pushing Keith back on the bed as he deepens the kiss. They sloppily work chapped lips together and the heat of each other's mouths is slowly explored.

　

Keith pulls back, a punch drunk grin spread across his face. Lance's bod thrums at the expression and surges foward again, smiling as they kiss once more.

　

For once, since this terrible thing ruined everything, Keith feels completely happy.

　

\--

　

Keith is curled on Lance's bare chest, legs hanging off the bed as they talk seriously. About what happened, and what will happen. No matter how much Keith wants to just go back to laughing and feeling good.

　

"What are we?" Keith asks.

　

"What do you want us to be?"

　

"Together." Keith reaches out, tangles his fingers with Lance's.

　

He grins dumbly, dimples and bright blue seas making Keith's head swim. "Okay."

　

Lance's smile falls, "What are we gonna do?"

　

The ticking has never been this loud before, never has it hung so heavy on Keith's weak body that he feels he may break in half. All his happiness burns like acid in the lining of his stomach.

　

"I don't know."

　

Lance holds him tighter, hands gripping so tightly the skin is turning white at Keith's knuckles.

　

\--

　

Keith didn't think he was running too fast. He was hardly jogging. He was just trying to get somewhere faster, just trying to get to gym faster, talk about a test he aced in a class he hated. He didn't think he was going to fall in a limp pile when his chest did something painful, and his limbs were suddenly dead weights as he tried to breathe and it failed him because that hurt _so bad_.

　

Keith didn't know it was a fit until Pidge was rocking him and Allura was getting a nurse while Hunk was rushing to find Lance and Shiro.

　

By then, his head was throbbing and his chest hurt so bad and Keith began to panic, it never felt like this before, _what's happening?_

　

And then Pidge tried to get his attention, they murmured something that was drowned out by the ringing in Keith's ears. He struggled to breathe normal, and by now it would, but his body refused to cooperate. It was supposed to stop, why isn't it stopping?

　

Keith hardly understood what was happening when Lance was smiling and kissing him as he was being secured on a streatcher and stayed with him as he was being taken to the closest hospital.

　

Lance nearly screamed when they said they couldn't allow him into the operating room, closing the wide doors in his face with a heavy slam. Instead, he followed a tiny nurse who directed him to the waiting room, filled out Keith's information as best as he could. Sent out a few texts to Shiro and Allura where they took Keith and which part of the hospital he was in. Withing the hour, everyone had managed to make it. Keith was stable, but they weren't sure for how long, and they were heavily relying on a supply of platelets that were getting held up just outside the city. Keith's match was in there, and at this point it was a waiting game.

　

The nurse that led everyone to Keith's room said only one at a time, but didn't stop the group as they piled into the small room. Keith was put into a sleep in order to relax the reactions his body had to what was a heart palptation.

　

Lance hovered close to his boyfriend's frail looking body, afraid that if he touched Keith, he would shatter apart. His skin was so cold, Lance instinctively draped himself across Keith, burying his face in mused hair and breathing in deeply. The stale hospital air was drowned out with the scent of Lance's shampoo, crisp and like home.

　

The crowd in the small room took their time to aquaint themselves with this Keith. The smaller, weaker version that displayed reality for them. Keith may not get better this time. Allura choked back tears at the idea that Keith couldn't get better. Shiro placed a supportive hand on the small of her back, holding his own pain back behind his eyes, not allowing it to spill foward and instead taking the lead to seating everyone in the various chairs around the room.

　

Shiro sat down and let his body sag with a heavy sigh. Time to wait.

　

\--

　

It takes almost two hours for everything to be prepped and ready for Keith to recieve the transfusion. It takes another hour to undergo it and Keith is woken up halfway through, groaning in pain and delirious as he tries to grasp what's going on.

　

"Lance," He croaks, "what's in my arm?"

　

"Baby, you should see it, it's so cool." Lance's body relaxes at Keith's little, breathy laugh.

The room is the quietly rippling with excitement. Everyone is eager to see Keith and talk to him after what happened.

　

"How are you feeling?" Hunk asks gently.

　

"Like shit," Keith groans.

　

Everyone laughs, relieved and tired. No one wants to leave when the doctors ask them to, they just got Keith, there's no way they can leave yet. They all slowly make their way out one by one, Lance lagging behind to whisper to Keith.

　

"Don't leave," Keith pleads, Lance presses a kiss to ho forehead.

　

"I could never leave you," Lance hums. "We're together, remember?"

　

Keith smile weakly, "Yeah, no matter what..."

　

Lance nods. No matter what. They're were going to get through this together.

 


End file.
